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עִברִית

  • Professional Team

    The Hebrew at the Center team consists of professionals passionate about Hebrew, second language acquisition and Jewish education, who are experienced at working in a wide range of educational settings. Each person on the team brings her or his own Hebrew journey and field experience, personal values, and own special talents and interest to ensure a well-rounded team where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

    Team members have academic, accreditation, and professional training in the following areas:

    • Curricular design
    • Assessment & evaluation
    • Early childhood education
    • Special education
    • Proficiency approach
    • Language planning
    • Sociolinguistics
    • Identity formation
    • Early childhood education
    • Coaching & mentoring
    • Onboarding novice teachers
    • Curricular integration
    • Educational theory
    • Change management
    • Mission & vision development
    • Lay & professional dynamics
    Our staff are also experienced professionals, recognized for their expertise & knowledge in the field:
    • Served as senior leaders and executives at Jewish day schools and national organizations
    • Frequent presenters at Jewish educational conferences
    • Worked with more than 100 schools to strengthen their Hebrew programs

     

    • Publish in academic and professional journals
    • Leaders at second-language conferences at the regional, national and international level
    • Partner in creating  the Avant STAMP assessment tool for Hebrew
    • Associated with Prizmah, CASJE, Jewish Interactive, TalentEd, and others
    • Helped found the  Council for Hebrew Language and Culture in North America
    • Consult on Hebrew immersion programs such as charter schools and day camps

    Whether responding to the immediacy of challenges surfaced during pandemics to the sustained multi-year projects such as Leading in Hebrew, the Hebrew at the Center team is nimble, intentional, persistent, and effective. Lifelong learners, our staff believes that Hebrew is an essential building block of a rich Jewish identity, connecting individuals to Jewish sources, values, history, peoplehood, and Israel.

    Leadership Team

  • הצוות המקצועי

    צוות עברית במרכז מורכב מאנשי.נשות מקצוע בעלי.ות תשוקה לעברית, לרכישת שפה נוספת, ולחינוך יהודי, ובעלי.ות נסיון בעבודה עם מגוון רחב של ארגונים חינוכיים. כל אחד ואחת בצוות מביא.ה עימו.ה את נסיונו.ה הייחודי בעברית, ערכיו.ה האישיים, כישוריו.ה, ותחומי העניין שלו.ה על מנת לתרום ביחד לצוות מגוון בו השלם גדול מסך חלקיו.


    חברי.ות הצוות בעלי.ות הכשרה אקדמית ומקצועית בתחומים הבאים:

    • תכנון ופיתוח תכניות לימוד
    • הערכה ומדידה
    • הוראת הגיל הרך
    • חינוך מיוחד
    • גישת הפרופישיונסי
    • תכנון מדיניות שפה
    • סוציולינגוויסטיקה
    • הבניית זהות
    • הוראת הגיל הרך
    • הדרכה והנחייה
    • הדרכת מורים.ות חדשים.ות
    • שילוב חומרי לימוד
    • תאוריות בחינוך
    • ניהול שינויים
    • פיתוח החזון וה”אני מאמין” הארגוני
    • דינמיקות בין-מקצועיות

    לצוות המקצועי שלנו נסיון מוכח, ידע ומומחיות בתחומים הבאים: 

    • שימשו בתפקידי הנהלה בכירה והנהגה בבתי ספר וארגונים יהודיים
    • מציגים.ות מוכרים.ות בכנסים מקצועיים בתחום החינוך היהודי
    • עבדו עם יותר מ-100 בתי ספר לחיזוק תכניות העברית שלהם
    • מפרסמים.ות בכתבי עת אקדמיים ומקצועיים
    • מובילי.ות כנסים בתחום הוראת שפה נוספת ברמה אזורית, לאומית, ובינלאומית
    • שותפים.ות ביצירת מבחן האבחון Avant STAMP בעברית
    • בעלי.ות קשרים מקצועיים עם Prizmah, CASJE, Jewish Interactive, TalentEd, ועוד
    • השתתפו ביסודה של המועצה לשפה ותרבות עברית בצפון אמריקה
    • מייעצים.ות לתכניות immersion בבתי ספר צ’רטר ובמחנות קיץ

    בין אם במתן מענה לאתגרים מיידיים שעלו במהלך תקופת המגיפה ובין אם בטיפול בפרויקטים רב-שנתיים וארוכי טווח, כמו פרויקט מובילים בעברית, צוות עברית במרכז הוא מהיר, מכוון מטרה, מתמיד, ויעיל. הצוות שלנו, המורכב מלומדים.ות-תמידיים.ות, מאמין שהעברית היא אבן יסוד חיונית בבניית זהות יהודית עשירה המחברת אנשים למקורות וערכים יהודיים, לעמיות וההיסטוריה של העם היהודי, ולישראל.

    צוות הנהלה

Professional Team

The Hebrew at the Center team consists of professionals passionate about Hebrew, second language acquisition and Jewish education, experienced at working in a wide range of educational settings. Each person on the team brings her or his own Hebrew journey and field experience, personal values, and own special talents and interest to ensure a well-rounded team where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

Team members have academic, accreditation, and professional training in the following areas:

  • Curricular design
  • Assessment & evaluation
  • Early childhood education
  • Special education
  • Proficiency approach
  • Language planning
  • Sociolinguistics
  • Identity formation
  • Early childhood education
  • Coaching & mentoring
  • Onboarding novice teachers
  • Curricular integration
  • Educational theory
  • Change management
  • Mission & vision development
  • Lay & professional dynamics
Our staff are also experienced professionals, recognized for their expertise & knowledge in the field:
  • Served as senior leaders and executives at Jewish day schools and national organizations
  • Frequent presenters at Jewish educational conferences
  • Worked with more than 100 schools to strengthen their Hebrew programs

 

  • Publish in academic and professional journals
  • Leaders at second-language conferences at the regional, national and international level
  • Partner in creating  the Avant STAMP assessment tool for Hebrew
  • Associated with Prizmah, CASJE, Jewish Interactive, TalentEd, and others
  • Helped found the  Council for Hebrew Language and Culture in North America
  • Consult on Hebrew immersion programs such as charter schools and day camps

 

Whether responding to the immediacy of challenges surfaced during pandemics to the sustained multi-year projects such as Leading in Hebrew, the Hebrew at the Center team is nimble, intentional, persistent, and effective. Lifelong learners, our staff believes that Hebrew is an essential building block of a rich Jewish identity, connecting individuals to Jewish sources, values, history, peoplehood, and Israel

RABBI ANDREW ERGAS EdD.

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
DR. ESTY GROSS
Chief of Staff and Director of Education

JONATHAN NIERMAN

Chief Philanthropy Officer

AMY BEN-DOV

DIRECTOR OF HEBREW AND INFORMAL EDUCATION

amyb@hebrewatthecenter.org

NILI PINHASI

DIRECTOR OF DAY SCHOOL SERVICES

DR. SARAH RUBINSON LEVY

DIRECTOR OF PRITZAT DERECH AND ACADEMIC INITIATIVES

Sarahl@hebrewatthecenter.org

SARA ROSTOLDER MANDELL

DIRECTOR OF ADVOCACY AND STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS saram@hebrewatthecenter.org

Global Staff

LEAH PICKHOLZ

DONOR RELATIONS SUPERVISOR, HR SPECIALIST, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE BOARD

SHERI AROTCHAS

SENIOR EDUCATIONAL CONSULTANT & EVENTS COORDINATOR

sheria@hebrewatthecenter.org

PAULA LEVINE
PROJECT COORDINATOR

Advisors & Senior Consultants

DR. TALI BERKOVITCH

SENIOR EDUCATIONAL CONSULTANT

talib@hebrewatthecenter.org

DR. CARMIT BURSTYN

SENIOR EDUCATIONAL CONSULTANT

SAIFAN MAN

SENIOR EDUCATIONAL CONSULTANT

KAYLA REISMAN

SENIOR CONSULTANT ON PART-TIME EDUCATION

FRIEDA ROBINS
ADVISOR – EARLY CHILDHOOD
DR. JEREMY BENSTEIN
SENIOR CONSULTANT & SICHA BLOGGER

Coaches

ELIANA GORDON

COACH

HAMUTAL KEINAN
COACH

MEIRAV LEVY

COACH
ARIELA NEHEMNE
COACH
ORIT SHAKARGHI
COACH
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DR. ESTY GROSS

CHIEF OF STAFF & DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION

Dr. Esty Gross is dedicated to advancing effective teaching practices to optimize individual student proficiency in Hebrew. She believes that mastering Hebrew enhances students’ understanding of Israeli culture and the Jewish People, strengthens their Jewish identity, boosts their overall academic performance, deepens their understanding of their native language, and fosters appreciation and tolerance for other cultures. Through studying Hebrew, students can become active change agents, comfortable with diversity, confident in advocating for the Jewish People, and equipped to address societal inequalities.

Dr. Esty Gross is an accomplished educator with over twenty-five years of experience in Hebrew and second language instruction and curriculum development. She is the Chief of Staff and Director of Education at Hebrew at the Center עברית במרכז (HATC) and serves as a Visiting Lecturer at DeLeT Lehorat Ivrit program at Hebrew Union College. Prior to her tenure at HATC, Dr. Gross served as the Education Director for Hebrew Studies, Global Division, at the Center for Educational Technology המרכז לטכנולוגיה חינוכית (CET), a leader in Hebrew curriculum and professional development for the Jewish educational field worldwide. Her career includes roles as an Adjunct Professor in the MAT-TESOL program at the University of Southern California, Associate Coordinator of DeLeT L’Ivrit, and various leadership positions in Jewish day schools in Los Angeles. Dr. Gross is also recognized for her contributions to the field, having co-chaired the National Association for Hebrew Teachers (NAHeT) and participated as a member of the Council for Hebrew Language and Culture in North America. Dr. Gross has presented in countless schools and conferences, has written numerous articles on equitable second language education, and authored and co-authored Hebrew textbooks. 

Esty earned her doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Southern California. She also holds an M.A. in Management and Leadership in Education from Tel Aviv University, a Coordinator and Master Teacher Certificate from Hebrew College, and a B.A. in English Linguistics along with a Teacher’s Diploma for Teaching English as a Second Language from Bar Ilan University.

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DR. CINDY DOLGIN, EdD

DIRECTOR OF MEMBERSHIP AND DATA

Cindy’s personal mission statement is, “I am a servant of K’lal Yisrael.” Her first career, in Israel, was in database management and systems analysis, in banking and high tech. Her long and fulfilling second career, in New York, has been in Jewish education, teaching children, teachers, and adult learners, and leading departments, curriculum development projects, divisions, and schools. Cindy is proud to have served for seven years as Head of School of a K-12 Jewish Day School, Schechter School of Long Island. At Hebrew at the Center, Cindy utilizes her skills in both database management and Jewish/Hebrew education and leadership.

In addition to being certified in Systems Design and Analysis by the Sivan Institute in Tel Aviv, Cindy holds a BA in Economics/Management Information Systems and Near Eastern Studies from University of Michigan, an MA in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and a doctorate in Religion and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. Cindy began learning Hebrew in earnest while in college, studied for one year at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and over the years returned again and again to Ulpan to become fluent and proficient in Biblical, Rabbinic and modern Hebrew.

In her spare time, Cindy teaches Hebrew, studies Daf Yomi, tends to her garden, creates new recipes in her kitchen, and delights in the company of her husband, children and grandchildren, in Huntington, New York.

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DR. TALI BERKOVITCH

Senior Consultant

Dr. Tali Berkovitch earner her Doctorate in Teaching and Learning from NYU with a focus on Successful Models of Hebrew Language Acquisition in North American Day Schools. She has taught both English and Hebrew as a foreign language in the United States, Israel, and China. She is currently the Instructional Coach at the Early Childhood Center at Magen David Yeshivah. She teaches students of all ages, with a focus on those who have language based learning disabilities.

ד”ר טלי ברקוביץ סיימה דוקטורט בחינוך והוראה בNYU. היא חקרה מודלים מוצלחים של הקניית השפה העברית בבתי ספר יהודים בארה”ב. היא לימדה גם אנגלית וגם עברית כשפה שניה בארה”ב, ישראל וסין. כיום היא מנחה לתכניות הלימודים במרכז לגיל הרך בישיבת מגן דוד. טלי .מלמדת לומדים בכל הגילאים עם התמקדות בתלמידים עם קשיי למידה המבוססים על שפה.

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Sara Rostolder Mandell
Director of Advocacy and Strategic Communications

Sara Rostolder Mandell has been a strategic communications and marketing professional for nearly 30 years, helping foundations and non-profit organizations tailor their messages, brands, and public images to achieve the biggest impact.

In addition to providing communications
consulting to numerous organizations both in and out of the Jewish community, she was the Chief Communications Officer of the Washington DCJCC, and has served as either the Director of Marketing or the Director of Communications for Ask Big Questions, Jewish Funds for Justice, and the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs.

She has worked with DDB-Worldwide and The Hatcher Group, and was the Senior Press Officer for the Embassy of Israel in Washington, DC.

She shares her life in Madison, WI with her husband and two teenagers, and finds joy in cooking for others, spending time near bodies of water, or embarrassing her kids by bursting into a song triggered by something they say.

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Adina Kanefield
Director

Adina Kanefield is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Library of Israel, leading efforts to build support through strategic partnerships, dynamic programming, and community outreach across North America.

Previously, Adina founded a consulting practice focused on strategic growth and resource development, serving as a lead consultant for Hebrew at the Center. She has held leadership roles at the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center, the Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School, and the Center for Israel Studies at American University, and earlier practiced regulatory and employment law.

A graduate of The George Washington University School of Law, she also holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees, summa cum laude, from Emory University. Adina lives in Washington, D.C., and serves on Hebrew at the Center’s Board Development Task Force.

Adina lives in Washington, D.C., and is active in Jewish communal life. She serves on the Board Development Task Force for Hebrew at the Center and is a frequent presenter on the intersection of Jewish heritage, cultural preservation, and the mission of the National Library of Israel.

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Sanford “Sandy” Cardin

Director

Sanford “Sandy” Cardin is the founder of Global Jewry. A graduate of Harvard University, Sandy is a member of the bar of DC, Florida, Maryland, and the United States Supreme Court, as well
as the Senior Consultant for Philanthropy and Impact at Cresset Capital.
After a short stint practicing law, Sandy shifted into the NGO world. He started as the Mid-Atlantic Director of the Jerusalem Foundation before moving to Tulsa, OK in 1994 to become the first executive director, then first president, of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family
Foundation.
Sandy spent 25 years guiding the CLSFF before leaving to become the CEO of Our Common Destiny, a global effort to
bridge the widening gap between the Jews in Israel and those living elsewhere.
Sandy has served on many Jewish boards (including as chair of the board or Leading Edge) and is currently involved in the JCC Association of North America. He has also held leadership posts at the Council on Foundations and National Center for Family Philanthropy.
Sandy lives with his wife, Melody, in Queenstown, MD.

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Walter A. Winshall

Director

Walter A. Winshall is a founding member of the board of Hebrew at the Center. He is a Principal in Collaborative Seed and Growth Partners, LLC, an investment firm specializing in the commercialization of early-stage technology. He is also a director at a number of early-stage companies. In addition to HATC, he is a board member of the National Yiddish Book Center and MIT Hillel. He was a founding board member of JCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day School and the Institute for the Advancement of Hebrew.
He graduated from MIT in electrical engineering and from Harvard Law School. Walt lives in Weston, Massachusetts with his wife, Arnee, chair of the Hebrew at the Center Board.
Walt serves on the Finance Committee and the Advocacy & Strategic Task Force Committee.

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Daniel Serfaty

Director

Daniel Serfaty is currently Chair of Aptima. As Aptima’s Founder and CEO, Daniel Serfaty has led Aptima to become the premier Human Performance Engineering business in the world. His work optimizes the integration of humans with intelligent technologies in defense, healthcare, aerospace, and education. His keynote addresses around the world are encouraging his audiences to imagine a future in which human and artificial intelligences work together in the service of humankind.
Daniel’s interdisciplinary background includes degrees in mathematics, psychology, aerospace engineering, and international business from the Université de Paris, the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, and University of Connecticut. His doctoral work has pioneered the study of distributed command teams. He is the recipient of the UConn Distinguished Service Award and has been inducted in its Engineering Hall of Fame.
Daniel is the co-Chair of the New England Israeli American Council (IAC), the board of the Friends of the Academy of Hebrew Language and, in addition, serves on the boards of several business and philanthropic organizations in both the United States and Israel, with an eye towards building bridges between these communities. Daniel serves on Hebrew at the Center’s Yom Iyyun Task Force and is co-chair of the Board Development Task Force.
Daniel lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts with his wife Irene.

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Todd Sukol

Director

Todd Sukol has worked in and around the nonprofit and philanthropic sector most of his career. At the Mayberg Foundation where he is Executive Director, he oversees the foundation’s strategic philanthropy, grant-making and development of the Jewish Education Innovation Challenge (JEIC) and the Incubator for Emerging Jewish Initiatives (IEJI). In addition, Todd is a founding board member of The Witness Institute. Previously, Todd was president of Do More Mission, a firm that increases nonprofit impact through philanthropic advisory services to high net worth individuals and foundations and management services to small and mid-sized charitable organizations.

Todd received his formal training in Journalism and Public Relations from Pennsylvania State University. He studied
at the University of Manchester in England and completed a two-year Yeshiva program at Machon Shlomo: Alexander and Eva Heiden Torah Institute in Jerusalem, Israel. Sukol graduated from the Executive Master’s program
at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University where he is currently enrolled in a doctoral program. Todd and his wife Amy (an active Hebrew at the Center volunteer) live in Silver Springs, Maryland. Todd was a member of the Strategic Reset Group, chaired the Strategic Transition and Planning Work Group, and is the current co-chair of the Governance Committee/Committee on Trustees and Board Development Task Force.

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Neil Kuttner

Treasurer

Neil Kuttner is the Chief Operations Officer of Cross Shore Capital Management, LLC, a registered investment advisor. He has worked in the financial services industry for forty years, previously at Sanford Bernstein & Co. where he was the CFO. Neil is a CPA and has also taught tax planning at Lehman College. Neil has BA in economics from City College of New York and a master’s degree in business administration from the Wharton School.
Neil lives in Manhattan and has two grown sons, Sam and Matthew, both of whom are involved Jewishly. Neil has long been active in the Jewish community has previously served as treasurer of Camp Ramah in New England, treasurer of the Foundation for Jewish Camp, board chair of the Academy for Jewish Religion, and synagogue president of Park Slope Jewish Center.
Neil views fluency in Hebrew as one of the important building blocks in positive Jewish identity, though his Hebrew language skills do need brushing up. He chairs Hebrew at the Center’s Finance Committee and is looking forward to continuing to contribute both his time and expertise.

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Joanne Blauer

Clerk

Joanne Blauer was formerly the Associate Dean, Secretary and Executive Vice Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College and Graduate School of Medical Sciences in New York City.
Joanne has a BA in Philosophy and Religion from Scripps College and a JD from the University of Washington School of Law. She spent her junior year of college at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She is the past COO of Hebrew at the Center and a founding board member of the Institute for the Advancement of Hebrew. In addition, Joanne has previously served on the board of Scripps College, the National Association of College and University Attorneys and is an inactive member of the Washington State Bar Association. She lives in New York City and Richmond Shores, Massachusetts. Joanne co- chairs the Governance Committee/Committee on Trustees and serves on the CEO Support and Evaluation Committee (CSEC).

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Arnee Winshall

President

co-founded Hebrew at the Center with Dr. Vardit Ringvald and
Sharona Givol. She is Founding Chair of JCDS, Boston’s Jewish Community Day School and sits on the boards of Jewish Interactive and Incubator for Emerging Jewish Initiatives (IEJI).
In addition, Arnee is a member of the JEIC advisory and co-founder of DEEP (a PLC of Developing Embedded Expertise Programs). In the past, she served chair of the RAVSAK board, on the Board of Overseers of Hebrew College, on the Executive Committee of JESNA, as the lay co-chair of the Lippman Kanfer Institute, and on the boards of The Harold Grinspoon Foundation, the JCC’s of Greater Boston, the Foundation for Jewish Camp, JECEI, and the Yiddish Book Center.

Arnee received her undergraduate degree in contrastive linguistics from Boston University and, after serving in the Peace Corps in Thailand, pursued graduate studies in developmental psycholinguistics at the University of Chicago.
Arnee has two adult children and lives in Weston, Massachusetts with her husband, Walt.